A democratic exception to the rule

That former French President Jacques Chirac has finally been convicted after so many proceedings against him were dropped comes as a pleasant surprise to the left-leaning daily die tageszeitung: "It was a disaster for the reputation of the French judiciary that an entire series of financial scandals were shelved until they'd passed the statute of limitations - despite their being fully documented by the press. The current decision was necessary to put all that in the past. ... With its conviction the court in Paris has also demonstrated the type of independence it has always laid claim to. Such courageous decisions running counter to the explicit wishes of the Ministry of Justice in France are the exception. The rule remains that those in power tell the prosecutors what to do in potentially explosive cases - and what not to do."

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